When I got the news that Sarah was in active labour, it sounded like things were moving quickly so I drove from south Calgary out to their Cochrane home, as fast as the speed limit would let me haha. When I arrived at the house, Sarah was hanging in there and just about to move to the tub for the rest of her labour and delivery. I ended up having the perfect amount of time before Cal was born but it was definitely a guessing game until I got there!

Sarah had amazing care from the midwives at Shifra Centre For Wellness and her doula, Kerri. There was so much support from them and of course from her husband, Rick and their two older kids, Mila and Leo. I’m always so blown away by the gentle and loving care that women receive at a home birth.

Congratulations to this incredible family on the birth of their son. Thank you for allowing me to be right there with you to document such an important day in your family’s life story.

Ashley & Paul’s beautiful March wedding at The Nash was an incredible way to kick off my 2018 wedding season! I actually met Ashley in 2013 when I photographed her sister Meghan’s wedding in Cranbrook and I’ve also photographed her sister Katie’s family a few times. It was fantastic to see the entire Donahue family again, I love that part of my job the most.

I spent the first part of the day with Ashley while she got ready in her beautiful home she recently bought with Paul. She gave her sisters the most thoughtful gift – a Tiffany’s necklace with the coordinates of the home they all grew up in engraved on the front.

Once Ashley & Paul saw each other for their first look, we went to a couple locations close by in Inglewood for formal photos. Shortly following was their beautiful ceremony at The Nash, which Ashley’s sister Katie officiated perfectly.

The reception space was decorated elegantly and the family style dinner was incredible. Many kind words were spoken about the couple as family members got up to speak throughout the night. We moved over to the Off Cut Bar for their first dance followed by some seriously awesome dance moves provided by their family and friends.

Congratulations Ashley & Paul, thank you for asking me to document such an important day in your lives. Wishing you health and happiness for years to come!

A huge thank you to my amazing second shooter, Maribeth, for shooting with me all day! xo

After photographing this family’s maternity session last fall, I was excited to document the birth of their second daughter in November. But little Jaclyn had other plans! Janice’s labour went so quickly, she didn’t even realize how fast things had actually progressed. After a few hours of off and on contractions that eventually led up to a few intense contractions without warning, Jaclyn was born at home in the bath tub – directly into her mama’s own hands. When I chatted with Janice about their lifestyle session a couple weeks later, she wanted to make sure we incorporated some photos of her with Jaclyn in the bath tub to represent where and how she was born. I thought it was the perfect idea to remember her birth story.

When I walked into Janice & Jason’s home, I immediately fell in love with all the colourful walls and unique décor everywhere. But what I noticed right away that I loved even more was how their home represented them so well and really showed love and life from their daily goings on. You could tell they had poured their hearts into creating a personal space and that memories were being made there. It was homey but stylish, unique but comfy.

There were so many genuine and fun moments during this shoot, I just had to post more photos than I normally would. Check out their session images below!

Rachel & Riley’s beautiful fall engagement session was one of the last sessions I shot before Evan was born. I was huge (at 37 weeks pregnant!) but these two made my job so incredibly easy because their chemistry was off the charts.

I can’t wait for their Fairmont Hot Springs BC wedding coming up in July, it’s going to be a stunner.

Carrie is a wonderful friend of mine and I always love photographing her beautiful family. This particular session is one of my favourites I’ve shot for them as the smoky skies made for such unique light and the gorgeous colours of fall were just starting to show themselves.

The day Maggie was born will always be one of the happiest days of my life. Being present to see and document my niece coming into the world was nothing short of amazing.

My sister Carolyn lives in Victoria, BC. We had talked about the option of me coming there to photograph her birth but knew it was highly unlikely I would make it in time as we live a province away from each other and of course time to travel and plan how to drop everything and run quickly was going to be tough. But it truly worked out in the most perfect way possible. It was obviously meant to be.

Carolyn called me around 1 am on August 6th to tell me that her water broke. My mind immediately started racing with thoughts of excitement for her and her husband Jesse, wondering how this was all going to play out for them and …. if I could actually get there to photograph their story for them. I sat on my couch in the middle of the night, thinking about a plan and the possibility of getting on a plane. It was the long weekend so my husband Matt was home and could stay with Landon and Levi. Matt’s niece Elaina was also with us for the month of August and could help out with care for the boys. I sat there for about half an hour, checked out some flights and decided to go for it. I arrived at the airport at 6:30 am, got on my flight at 8 am and was in Victoria at Carolyn’s front door by 9 am BC time.

When I arrived at their house, Carolyn’s contractions were between 7-8 minutes apart and things were progressing nicely. With the loving support of Jesse and her doula, Carolyn moved through labour throughout the day with control and determination. By 5 pm, she was pushing with the support of her incredible midwife and at 8:20 pm …. Maggie Raina Gisborne was with us. I will never forget the feeling of watching my sister become a mother right in front of me. What an experience I cannot put into words.

Congratulations Carolyn & Jesse! Maggie – you were born into the loving arms of two people who would do anything for you and find comfort having you in their lives. You’re a lucky gal. I love you very much.

Cass & Brett’s stunning summer wedding at Theatre Junction Grand was truly unique in every way from the vintage and edgy feel of the venue itself to Cass’ incredible two piece wedding dress. At every turn this wedding was chic, classy and amazingly beautiful.

From the moment I met up with the girls getting ready in their suite, I could feel the excitement of the day. Cass’ easy going nature made for a chill and calm room and when I went to see the guys downstairs, it was the same feel there. Everyone was relaxed and just excited to get the day underway.

Cass & Brett’s unplugged ceremony was amazing – unplugged meaning all guests had their phones and cameras away and were truly present during the entire ceremony. I loved being the one and only person taking photos so their family and friends could be in the moment with them as they got married. Once the ceremony ended, we headed for portraits on 8th Ave downtown and it was the perfect backdrop to compliment their urban style day.

When I walked into their reception room, my jaw hit the floor. The space was absolutely gorgeous – every vendor who had a hand in the setup did such an outstanding job. Please make sure you check out the vendor list after the last photo to see all the local Calgary talent that helped put this day together.

Congratulations Cass & Brett! Thank you for letting me be a small part of your incredible wedding and trusting me to capture such an important day.

Krysta & Devan are one of those awesome couples that are super easy to photograph because they genuinely love to laugh and they have such an obvious connection with each other. I loved hanging out with them for their engagement session and hearing all about their fun and unique ideas for their wedding next year.

We shot their session at Fish Creek Park on a gorgeous summer night. Take a peek below at some of their images!

I’ve photographed this lovely family for the last 4 years and I always enjoy our sessions together. This year they wanted some canola fields in their images so we waited until July and found the perfect spot.